2 h 58 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 58 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does freedom ask of a mountain people when armored knights threaten the life they know?
In Gustav Höcker's Arnold of Winkelried, the Hero of Sempach, Swiss valley communities and towns face the power of the Austrian Habsburg rulers. Their loose union values its own councils and customs. Against proud, heavily armed knights, the struggle is about more than battle: it is about keeping the right to live by their own ways.
At the heart of this adventure stands Arnold of Winkelried, the legendary patriot remembered in connection with the Battle of Sempach. Höcker brings courage, loyalty and love of country into a tale rooted in Swiss memory. Read it as a patriotic legend, where one man's name carries the hopes of communities determined to remain free.
What you’ll discover
- Freedom close to home Discover mountain communities whose councils and customs give their struggle a deeply personal meaning.
- An unequal struggle Face the threat of armored knights who expect peasant forces to break before them.
- Courage under threat Follow a tale that places loyalty and courage at the heart of resistance.
- A name that endures Meet Arnold as a figure of legend, remembered beyond what documents can firmly establish.
- History held in memory Explore how Sempach becomes a lasting symbol of the Swiss Confederacy's will to resist.
Who will love it
Readers who love Swiss history, medieval knights and castles will enjoy this short adventure. It also suits those drawn to legends of liberty, real battles and a hero's path toward a famous deed.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A boy dreams of dragons and Pilate
- Morgarten teaches Arnold what freedom costs
- Plays and plague test the young man
- A murder night saves Zurich and wins a friend
- A tournament and a siege in the north
- The robber knights meet the beggar monk
- Giving up life for others is the heart of the tale
- Free communities stand against nobles and dukes
- Legend and history are woven together
Who’s who
- Arnold of WinkelriedA boy from Stans who dreams of heroes and grows into a knight, a loving father and a fighter for Swiss freedom.
- Florian HäbliArnold's childhood friend, a fisherman's son who becomes an armorer in Zurich and finds a way to warn the endangered city.
- Father VincentiusA one-eyed Benedictine healer who fought at Morgarten as a young exile and now teaches Arnold history and compassion.
- Veit of MörspergA huge, scornful robber knight who loves plunder and dice and meets Arnold again and again as an enemy.
- Jörgel of ReiensteinA poor, grumbling nobleman who lives in a ruined castle with his aunt and joins Veit's schemes to get rich.
- Duke Leopold of AustriaA skilled jouster and ruler who wants to break the Swiss League and restore Austria's power.
- Lady of MörspergVeit's pious wife, who rules the castle and frees a captured monk because she fears the Church's ban.
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Arnold de Winkelried, le héros de Sempach
A boy throws stones at a haunted lake to fight Pontius Pilate, and decades later a battle calls him.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to readfrançais
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In short
Why would a boy climb a mountain with one friend, carrying only a sling, to throw stones into a dark lake and challenge the ghost of Pontius Pilate? In the little town of Stans, a boy named Arnold hears his mother tell of the haunted mountain Pilatus.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A boy dreams of dragons and Pilate
It is evening in the Winkelried house at Stans. Arnold sits on his mother's lap, watching the moon rise over Pilatus. He asks why the mountain bears the name of the Roman governor who condemned Christ.
His mother tells the old legend. After Pilate died in disgrace, storms followed his body from river to river, until it was thrown into a small lake high on the mountain. If anyone throws stones into the lake, storms burst over the valley.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 1 h 55 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Höcker, Gustav. Arnold of Winkelried, the Hero of Sempach. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/arnold-of-winkelried-the-hero-of-sempach.
Höcker, G. (2026). Arnold of Winkelried, the hero of Sempach. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/arnold-of-winkelried-the-hero-of-sempach
Höcker, Gustav. Arnold of Winkelried, the Hero of Sempach. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/arnold-of-winkelried-the-hero-of-sempach.
@book{hocker2026arnold,
author = {Höcker, Gustav},
title = {Arnold of Winkelried, the Hero of Sempach},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/arnold-of-winkelried-the-hero-of-sempach}
}
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What is Arnold of Winkelried about?
It follows the Swiss hero Arnold of Winkelried from boyhood in Stans through monastery school, plague, tournaments and a northern crusade, and on toward the battle of Sempach in 1386, while teaching the history of the Swiss League.
Who was Arnold of Winkelried?
He is a Swiss hero from Nidwalden remembered for his self-sacrifice at Sempach in 1386. The book presents him as a knight and citizen. It notes that scholars still debate details of his deed, though the Swiss honor him.
Is Arnold of Winkelried a true story?
It is a historical tale. The battles of Morgarten and Sempach, the Everlasting League and Duke Leopold are real history. Many scenes, such as the Zurich plot and the beggar monk, are storytelling built around those events.
The author
Gustav Höcker
1832–1911 · German historical novelist
Gustav Höcker was a German writer who lived in Germany from 1832 to 1911. He wrote in German during the nineteenth century. His work included historical fiction and books for young readers. One of his books was Arnold of Winkelried, the Hero of Sempach.
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